Of the nasty things about plastic — a subject upon which our own Umbra is prolific — perhaps the worst is its origins in petroleum. What if the many wondrous benefits of plastic could be had without the petroleum inputs? That would be cool.

Along come researchers at Cornell University, who have apparently discovered how to make plastic from citrus fruits and carbon dioxide. Use less oil; use more CO2 (rather than pumping it into the atmosphere). Nifty.

(via BoingBoing)